Description
Recently, the research activities of the Faculty of Health and Social Care was organized in four research groups related to (1) Mental health, (2) Disability, (3) Age and care for older people, and (4) Phenomenological research to vulnerable groups. The faculty has an interdisciplinary master programme, focusing on subjects that cohere with the research groups.
The research groups have the opportunity to apply funding from the institution’s small grant resources from RCN. More internal funding is required to optimize the research activity in the groups. Therefore, the faculty aims at channelling the earned incentive resources from the members’ publications back to the group. The faculty motivates the teaching staff to
commence PhD studies, thus solving the problem with recruiting competent academic staff.
One staff member has completed a PhD and four were admitted to PhD programs. They also have a broader aim to develop a PhD program related to their core areas.
Several of the professors have collaboration with regional, national institutions within the core areas. Internationally, they collaborate with China, Russia, Scotland, USA (San
Francisco) and Australia. Two of the PhD students have spent research time in San Francisco and Australia.
Research quality
The production of publications increased in 2009, but the publication points still decreased, due to more external co-writers. The area of mental health is well developed and has earned international recognition. Three research projects, with focus on reducing violence in mentally ill, are currently in progress. Nine articles have been published in this field and further 11 are planned.
The Disability research effort includes a collaborative project with European partners. The disability research team is small and has published two articles on level 2. Just now, the team has got a proper contribution in form of external funding.
The research group in Ageing and care for older people has both practical and theoretical aims. They collaborate with two hospitals and one research centre in a project about the function of the language for patients with dementia, which is a part of a larger project. The group is working with the design and methodology of the study. They have applied for funding of a study of health interventions based on regular home visits of old age cohorts.
Additionally, there are two research projects about people with dementia and their relatives in an initial phase. The group has also started collaboration with the local theatre and plans a series of theatre performances for persons with dementia. The group has published eight articles.
The research team of Phenomenological research towards vulnerable groups focuses on experiences of hospitalized children, psychiatric patents, people with dementia and their relatives, and organ donation at intensive-care units. Four PhD students participate in this group.
The main focus seems to be on research of mental health and ageing. The ambition connecting the theory and practice and using different methods in the research are very positive.
During the last six years, the faculty has in total published 74 articles in journals and five articles in scientific anthologies. Fifteen of them are published in national journals or books.
Mostly, the journals are well-established nursing ones, but some of the publications appear in more cross-disciplinary journals, which reach wider target groups. There is a good balance between national and international publishing.
Grade: Good.
Societal impact
The research about mental health and lifelong disabilities has a significant societal impact, because these groups are increasing in the society.
Recommendations
The Faculty of Health Sciences and Social Care is in progress with regard to developing its research units. They have a target and are focused on research. Their idea to collaborate closely with the University of Bergen is very good, but there is a need of better focus - maybe more on mental health and disability and integrated phenomenology. The Panel’s advice is to wait with development of a PhD program until collaboration has been established. There are good ideas about what is relevant. The Panel noted that many of the activities are suitable for RCTs - but this needs collaboration.
Oslo University College
Faculty of Health Sciences
Level 1 Description
Oslo University College (OUC) was established in 1994. The Faculty of Health Sciences is one of seven faculties. The faculty has seven bachelor studies, two master programmes, and two interdisciplinary master programs together with other faculties and external partners. A fifth master programme in physiotherapy is under development. Additionally, the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Nursing are in the process of establishing a
PhD-programme in Health and Social Participation. The disciplines physiotherapy, prosthetics and orthotics, occupational therapy, radiography, dental technology, biomedicine and pharmacy are included in the faculty.
The Faculty of Health Sciences is organized with a Faculty Division Board; the leader is a dean, who has academic and administrative responsibilities. The faculty has a Research and Development (R&D) Board consisting of a coordinator, the four research leaders and a representative for the PhD students.
There are three professors I, 18 associate professors (one 20% and one 50%) and one professor II (20%) employed at the faculty. Three PhD students have graduated at the University of Oslo, as well as 20 master students (some of them together with Norwegian University of Life Sciences), over two-three years. 75% of the assistant professors and
lecturers have no formal research education. Many of the young ones are interested in starting on a PhD programme, but there are also employees who do not have such ambitions. The average age of the academic staff is 52 years, and 84% of them are women. About 9% of the academic staff are not Norwegian citizens.
The policy is that 25% of the academic staff’s working time is reserved for R&D. The faculty allocates the time each employee gets for his/her research, based on a model rooted in
scientific production during a period of three years. Newly employed associate professors and professors receive 30% and 45%, respectively for R&D. The working year is organized so that employees have well-delineated teaching and research periods.
The faculty has financial and supervision responsibilities for PhD students in the PhD program at the University of Oslo, and other external R&D centres. To ensure good throughput of PhD students, the faculty will offer the students that complete their thesis within the stipulated period, a six month grant to complete the ongoing PhD studies and write applications for further funding. 12% of the PhD students of the faculty have spent time abroad. All PhD students and post-doctoral positions can apply for 100,000 NOK (per annum) to support activities abroad.
1. Ageing and Health Level 2
Description
Social Welfare at the OUC. The unit is organized in eight subgroups: 1. Physical fitness, function, and cognitive impairment, 2. Evaluation, of rehabilitation, health promotion, prevention, and treatment, 3. Evaluation of measurements, psychometric validity and reliability with own statistician, and collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 4. Mental health, quality of life and welfare, 5. Aging: migration and ethnic relations, 6. Injury prevention, 7. Experience in health and social care: patient-, consumer and
professionals perspective and 8. Oral health. This is a sub-grouping which is project oriented, mainly towards PhD projects. Each group is managed by a professor or associate professor.
Aging and Health is an interdisciplinary area, which is oriented towards knowledge
translation, meta-perspective regarding ethnicity, ethics, dignity, different types of services, function, quality of life and aging processes (somatic, health-related, psychological and social conditions).
The unit consists of one professor (100%), one professor II (20%), two associate professors and seven research fellows with master degree. The females dominate the group, but it is a goal to recruit researches with more mixed background. Eleven PhD students, of whom eight from the faculty, are included in the group. The professors have 45% research time and further 5% for the management of the group. The associate professors have 30% and the assistant professors 20-30% research time.
Some problems in recruiting PhD students are due to the low number of master thesis and limited resources for writing project plans when employed in the clinical field. The group has had one post-doctoral fellowship, which now has come to an end.
The unit has national and internationally collaborations with hospitals, centres, universities and an EU-network.
Research quality
All researchers in the unit intend to publish one paper in a peer-reviewed journal each year;
some publish more. The researchers are referees in international scientific journals. There are several ongoing research activities.
The unit has published 75 articles, in well-established journals, on rehabilitation, physical therapy, sports, medicine, occupation, aging, caring, epidemiology, disabilities, public health, practice, health and quality of life, injury prevention, migration and social questions. The different journals elucidate the inter-disciplinary fields within which aging is included.
Twelve of the articles were published in Norwegian or Swedish journals. There is a balance between international and national articles, and the group has international collaboration.
Grade: Good.
Societal impact
The unit has at several occasions presented their research findings in TV, radio and newspapers. The aim is to reach the important stakeholders.
Recommendations
Several of the research fellows have only a master degree. The proportion of associate professors with a PhD-degree should increase. The Panel noted that several other Norwegian groups are active in ageing research, and recommend the present unit to focus, in order to increase the impact.
2. Rehabilitation and Habilitation